Visa glitch put dent in Malaysia's Chinese visitor numbers

The social visit pass, extended to Chinese tourists to Malaysia, has hit a bump in implementation since its October 1 launch date, with travel consultants saying the application process has not been revealed by the Malaysian government.

Mint Leong, managing director of Sunflower Holidays in Kuala Lumpur, said her incentive group of 50 arriving from Shanghai today is being given special assistance on last-minute visa processing by the Malaysian Consul-General office in Shanghai.

Leong, who is also secretary-general at the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA), said Chinese tourists intending to visit Malaysia must continue to apply for a visa until further notice. MITA had also written to Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs to come up with procedure details by October 10, she added.

MITA estimates a loss of 8,000 arrivals from China during the Chinese Golden Week period (from October 1 to 7) resulting in a loss of RM25 million (US$5.7 million) on tourism revenue.

Albert Tan, president of the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association, said: “Operators in China are unhappy because there is no clear direction. Our concern is also whether the entry points in Malaysia have clear directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs as we don’t want tourists to be turned away.”

Tan, who is also managing director at Tong Yan Tavel & Tours in Penang, is expecting to lose 40 per cent of targeted arrivals during the Golden Week period. “Without clear direction, we cannot promote Malaysia at this point of time,” he said.

-TTG Asia.